January 2013

January 31, 2013

In life, in business, or wherever, it is necessary to find sources of motivation to help maintain peak performance. My business partner and often co-author Orrin Woodward once said, "If you don't want to do something, no one can stop you!" Inertia is often hard to overcome, so we look for sources to get us moving. Motivation is the force we use to overcome our general desire to lay on the couch and have someone fan us and feed us grapes.

There are motivational speakers, motivational seminars, and reams of motivational books. Much of the information found in these sources is valuable and at least temporarily able to kick us in the fanny. Sometimes, though, these things can miss the mark. There are times when things that sound true on the surface fall apart upon further inspection.

One time I was at a business conference listening to a speaker on stage who had been a famous NFL football player. His talk wasn't really a talk, it was more like a well-rehearsed theatrical performance. Every line was memorized; every word delivered with just a little too much polish. It was obvious he'd given this exact talk a hundred times. Still, it was pretty good. But then he said something that left me wondering. "The key to success," he shouted with a pause for dramatic effect, "is to fall down ninety-nine times, and get up a hundred!" The crowd went wild. Children cried. Heart patients clutched their chests. Such beautiful words. Such wisdom. Such motivation.

Such bad math!

I chuckled to myself as I imagined how it was possible for someone to "get up" one more time than they'd fallen down!

There is another such phrase so common that nearly every one of us has said it at one time or another. It is in books. It can be heard in speeches. It has been said by well-intentioned advice givers everywhere. The phrase?

"It's never too late!"

But there is one certainty as reliable as taxes: there IS a time when it's too late. When you're dead, it's too late! Or when you've blown the important relationships in your life, it is probably too late. Or when you have destroyed your health, it's too late! There IS a too late!

Now, I understand, the phrase is meant to encourage people that even though they've wasted time, or even though they've failed in the past, or even though opportunities have passed by - that's no excuse for not taking the next positive step. Still, good intentions aside, the phrase is not true. One of the reasons so many people accomplish so little in life is they live as though they've got forever; they live as though it's never too late.

There are many other "motivational myths" out there. Can you think of some? If so, share them with the readers of this blog in the comment section. We need to be a little aware of the "truths" we are swallowing without critical consideration. Success in life, in relationships, in finances, in anything, requires action consistent with true principles. Learn the principles and steer clear of the myths.

Motivate yourself to get cranking now, because although there is a day when it will be too late, it might not be yet! And, if you should get knocked down, feel free to get up once for each time it happens. That should be sufficient.

January 25, 2013

"What do you do to stay so 'on' all the time?" the man asked me. I mumbled out some sort of answer and asked him a similar question. We finished our time together and parted ways, but his question stayed with me.

Am I really 'on' all the time? I thought.

No, not really, I thought to myself, doubting whether anyone could truly be 'on' all the time.

Still, I am fairly excited and enthusiastic most of the time, and most days I awake super-charged to plow into the work that I do. I am blessed, love what I do, and don't want to waste any chances I've been given.

Also, however, I've been well taught. Years and years of listening to audio CDs, attending conferences and seminars, reading thousands of books, and hanging around similarly driven individuals, have all combined to make me what I am today. One of the biggest lessons I've taken from all this experience is the following: a successful, happy, contributing life comes from proper 'personal management.'

Management can mean the proper, disciplined, responsible application and stewardship of something valuable. It follows, then, that personal management is the proper, disciplined, responsible application and stewardship of one's life, health, time, resources, energy, and blessings. And it can be seen that those who accomplish the most and seem to be the happiest are those who do the best job with their personal management.

In other words, how well you manage yourself determines what you achieve and how much you fulfill your God-given potential.

Wait! Before you tune out thinking this is just so much motivational drivel, stop and ask yourself some questions:

1. How well do you do in the category of 'personal management?'

2. Does your life demonstrate self-discipline and a responsible shepherding of the gifts and privileges you've been given?

3. Do employ your time wisely?

4. Do you keep yourself fit and in good health?

5. Do you have goals in life you are pursuing, directly and through a specific game plan?

6. Do you have a financial plan so you can deploy the most possible resources toward your life's purposes?

7. Do you feel a special pull to accomplish something particular in your life?

If most of your answers to these types of questions (and I could expand that list indefinitely) are in the negative, you may need to begin doing a better job managing yourself. After all, it's for your own good and happiness. People sometimes avoid the terms 'discipline' and 'accountability' and 'stewardship' and similar topics because they don't like putting themselves under pressure. But one of the paradoxes of life is that we are the happiest when under pressure, especially when that pressure is the healthy, self-applied variety.

So what do you need to do to begin managing your life more productively? What must you do to stop wasting time, energy, health, and resources and instead begin living a vibrant, productive, disciplined, happy life? Here is a partial list of things to consider and steps to take that may be helpful.

1. Pursue your purpose. Aimlessness results from not aiming at anything. Without a burning purpose, time and energy is wasted poking around through the days of your life and accomplishing nothing. Discovering your purpose is a little like an archaeology project, you uncover it a bit at a time. Begin before any more is wasted.

2. Find someone (or several someones) to serve. Our problems usually diminish when we help other people with theirs. We gain perspective and receive blessings from sharing what we have with others in need. It is impossible to be entirely self-serving when you are busy serving others. Whenever I deal with someone who is embroiled in tremendous trifles and poor self-management, I always inquire to find out whom they are serving besides themselves. The answer is almost always, "no one."

3. Cultivate the awareness of the passing of time. You will not live forever, and each passing day is an evaporating gift. One thing I will never understand is the people who are living as though they've got forever. They waste time, frit away their days, and plow through entire swaths of the calendar without doing anything meaningful or important. You will regret the time you wasted that you can't re-get.

4. Foster a little disappointment in yourself. This won't work for some personality types, perhaps, but I think it's healthy to stay a little unhappy with oneself. I don't ever want to be satisfied with my performance or think I've arrived. I don't want to grow complacent or lose my edge. Therefore, I zero in on areas where I obviously need to improve, and use these to motivate myself to heightened commitment and better results.

5. Shut out the world a little bit. A lot of what comes in to us is negative and destructive, while much of the rest is distracting. Learn to block out the noise from time and time and garner for yourself moments to think, pray, study, and live uninterrupted.

6. Plug into sources of power. First and foremost is to understand who you are and who's you are. Get your life right with God. Further, plug into information sources that are educational, uplifting, practical, and edifying. Read the good books (including the Good Book), listen to instructional audios, attend conferences, and learn to feed your brain the food it needs to stay active at a high level. I once asked a busy, active, 83 year-old billionaire what his secret to health and vitality was. His answer was to keep your brain going so fast that it can't atrophy.

7. Improve your associations. We become a lot like the people we hang around the most. To improve your life, improve the quality of the people you allow into it. Be intentional about this and choose your friends and associates wisely.

8. Set goals. Chasing after something specific is exhilarating and productive. When we have a goal, all sorts of ideas and plans pop into our head to help us relieve the 'pressure' the goal provides. Suddenly we are alive with the idea of pursuit and we are busy about something definite.

9. Develop game plans. Game plans are the attempted routes toward the accomplishment of goals. They don't always work out, but they at least get us started down the road to victory. Chart a course and set sail. You can't arrive if you don't depart.

10. Allow rewards. When you increase your self discipline, it is a good idea to reward yourself along the way. When you hit a little goal, give yourself a tiny, commensurate treat. This reinforces the behavior and proves to yourself that all the effort is paying off. It cements the productive behavior as a new, worthwhile habit and encourages further growth in that direction.

Consider this: There is nothing more common than someone who is out of shape physically, or has all sorts of relationship problems, or has money problems, etc. Anybody (and sometimes is seems as if it's most everybody) gets themselves off track and into these categories. But it doesn't have to be that way. It doesn't have to be you!

Poor personal management is to blame; it was the road that got them there. But the good news is that personal management can also be the road out. So put some more effort into your personal management today and take the baby steps to where you want to be.

January 23, 2013

1. Ignorance - this is the brief but enjoyable stage where the task at hand appears interesting and enjoyable. Without the confusion of knowledge, accidental competency sometimes occurs and practitioners are often able to make some early headway quite easily. At this early stage it is easy to take things too lightly, underestimate the top performers in the category, and even get a little cocky.

2. Immersion - this stage is the key. Without long-term immersion in a topic, mastery will never be realized. This takes intensity, focus, commitment, and time. The challenge here is that as one plunges into the the craft, all sorts of details and complexity reveal themselves. Things begin to seem overwhelming and difficult. What at first appeared fun and easy soon begins to feel impossible and perhaps "not worth it." There is a clear choice in the Immersion stage: feel the pressure or marvel at the wonder. It is possible to do both productively, but never just the first. A healthy sense of wonder at all that is involved is required for ongoing enthusiasm and commitment.

3. Intelligence - this is where the practitioner has mastered his craft and makes it look "easy" to the outside world. Outsiders look at those with such master and say they have a certain "intelligence" in the topic, as in, "Peyton Manning has incredible football intelligence." Competence is now second nature and almost unconscious, although the job of the master to continually improve never ends.

We can consider the above steps from the standpoint of martial arts. Upon first look, it may seem that throwing a punch is nothing more than that - simply throwing a punch. However, once immersion in martial arts begins, the student realizes that there are complex and specific mechanics involved in properly throwing a punch, such as body position, center of gravity, core involvement, opposing hand pull-back, torso twist, formation of the fist, pointing of lead knuckles, and much more. It is in this stage that one realizes that "a punch is MORE than just a punch." After thousands and thousands of practice punches in a whole host of different environments and applications, honed to sharpness by the oversight of a master sensei over a long period of time, eventually a punch returns to being "just a punch," meaning, it becomes second nature and almost automatic. However, now it is extremely effective and correctly done.

The challenge along the path of mastery is the pressure that results in the Immersion stage. Most people cannot handle this pressure. Instead they:

1. become overwhelmed, determine that the task is too hard, and quit. Or,

2. they cave in to the pressure but don't quit, but also don't bring the concentration and effort required to pass through Immersion on to mastery. Instead, they wallow around in Immersion indefinitely, going through the motions half-heartily, and never really improving. Or,

3. they blame the craft or the process . This often turns people into "suggestion machines," as in, "This craft would be so much better if they would just make such and such changes . . . ." Unwittingly the productive pressure of the Immersion stage is bled off and applied elsewhere. Relieving this pressure by directing it elsewhere robs the participant of the lessons the pressure brings and prolongs the time required to reach mastery. Or,

4. they blame other people for their lack of progress. This is even worse than becoming a suggestion machine because now it also involves playing the part of a victim. This is a total relief of the productive pressure and is the surest way to become entrapped in the Immersion stage long term, or to take the short trip back to #1 above and quit outright.

Once one has traveled down the road to mastery in a subject, quitting is particularly tragic because it effectively and mercilessly starts the clock over. Quitters often enjoy immediate relief from the pressure of immersion, and even brag about it to their associates. But masters know that this temporary respite from pressure is simply the pause in the time line until the person must choose the next endeavor and begin the process all over again. Sadly, the cycle usually just repeats itself as the person gets frustrated at the next new thing and quits again. It is precisely in this fashion, blaming processes and people all along the way, that many would-be achievers accomplish very little with their lives and never actually master anything. Time ticks without remorse as the self-deceived entrap themselves in unnecessary mediocrity.

In this progression it can also be seen why time spread too thin across too many activities is a killer for anyone truly seeking mastery. There simply isn't enough time to become a master at more than one or two things in life. I dislike the well-intentioned phrase, "It's never too late," precisely because, well, there IS a too late! Time doesn't wait forever. Health doesn't last forever. Windows of opportunity don't remain open forever. Relationships will not wait forever. Time lost is time lost. Period. Mastery is only available if given enough time, and delaying Immersion or spreading oneself too thin both deprive one of the time required for mastery.

Also, one can easily see that attempting to compete part-time with someone who has dedicated himself full-time to a profession is likely an exercise in futility. Sooner or later the person or enterprise with the most focus, the most commitment, the most "skin in the game" will win. NY TImes bestselling author Orrin Woodward says, "Half of you against all of them means you lose all!"

Decide to master your craft. Fall in love with the wonder of the depth of what you do. Become excited by each new discovery and layer you remove of greater dimensions and understanding. Let this fuel your intensity and magnify your focus. Throw your whole self in to the endeavor and be a patient student of the process. Use the challenge of the pressure wisely and allow it to mold you, long term, into a legitimate master, one with that special "intelligence" in your field. And don't worry that most people will not understand you. That's okay. In fact, it should be seen as a positive indicator that you are headed in the correct direction away from the herd. Simply look to other masters for approval. They were once where you are, and will be the first to cheer you on.

January 22, 2013

"The government is best which governs least," is a statement often erroneously attributed to Thomas Jefferson. Although he likely would have agreed, the statement cannot be found in any of his writings. It is, however, plainly written by Henry David Thoreau:

I heartily accept the motto,—“That government is best which governs least;” and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which I also believe,—“That government is best which governs not at all;” and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have. Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient.

—Thoreau, Civil Disobedience

The trend of today seems to run counter to the words of Thoreau and the inclinations of Jefferson. We see a citizenry taught to worship it's government and to not only depend upon, but demand from it all manner of "services" not natural to it. Somewhere along the line Americans have switched from rugged individualism to radical governmentalism.

The truth is, however, that governments only do one thing well: grow in power. Over time, they creep in their reach and gain in their control. Nothing is more natural for a bereaucracy than to add to itself like coral growing on a reef. Over time the accumulation grows big enough to block the waves of freedom and leave instead a pool of slack water.

Government interference in human affairs (beyond its basic responsibility for protection against enemies domestic and abroad) depends upon several factors and participants. In an attempt to make the process of the loss of freedom more recognizable, perhaps the following list will be helpful:

1. Viewpoint - this is the inflexible dogma of government control in one area or another that motivates the behaviors of the Valiant.

2. Valiant - these are the champions of the Viewpoint, the schemers who push it on everyone else "for their own good."

3. Victims - those who are being somehow unfairly treated and are therefore entitled to a special benefit from the government

4. Villains - anyone who does not pledge blind loyalty to the Viewpoint

5. Verifiers (or Validators) - the idealists who preach the Viewpoint as though it is the most obvious truth in the world

6. Vassals - students in many schools and particular universities who become indoctrinated into the Viewpoint

7. Voters - sheep to be manipulated to vote for the Viewpoint no matter how harmful it may be to them.

8. Vandals - those who write any opinion against the Viewpoint

9. Vanishing - what happens to freedom when the Viewpoint takes firm foothold in a nation

10. Vanity - all human effort to establish a perfect world outside of God's laws and grace

January 15, 2013

In life, we have an admirable tendency to conform, to seek harmony, and to build consensus. This is commendable, as we certainly don't want to intentionally cause conflict and wreak havoc. However, excellence carries with it the apparently inescapable reality of polarization. Whatever you are "for," others will be "against." In fact, the more you take a stand, the more you'll be opposed.

This explains why strong leaders and dominant viewpoints meet such opposition. George Washington was ridiculed abroad and the victim of passive aggressive politics and slander at home. The very fact that Abraham Lincoln was elected President was the spark that ignited the poweder keg of the Civil War. Today, Barack Obama is both passionately admired and vehemently hated. And closer to home for me, my good friend and often co-author Orrin Woodward has some of the strongest followers and at the same time, some of the most vicious enemies. Again, this is the natural result of taking a strong stand, being passionately committed to your purpose, and seeking aggressively after excellence.

Remember: Excellence polarizes.

If you are going to pursue your passion and calling in life with excellence, with gusto, with the full force of your gifts and determination, realize that you will be harshly opposed. It's just how things work. In fact, the most dominant of personalities are able to not only understand this as the lay of the land, but look for it as a sign that they are on the right track. If nobody is against them, it's a sure bet that there really won't be anyone who is much for them, either.

You should never seek to be intentionally offensive or disharmonious, but on the other hand, never hold back your gifts in an attempt to assuage your critics. They will be your critics no matter how much you pander to them. So don't pander to them in any way. Learn from their opposing viewpoint only to the extent that it makes you think through your position better, develop your understanding more clearly, and make your contribution that much more focused and correct.

Never conform to please the critics, instead, perform to thrill your fans.

January 03, 2013

This is the time of year when many people are sending out those online video and photo-montage Christmas cards (although I prefer the old fashioned snail-mail kind, with photos of the family). So, I thought it only appropriate to contribute a little something from my past year. What follows is a video compilation of some of my free time activities in 2012, including videography, photography, motorsports, and the like. I am a trained professional, by the way, so don't try these things at home. Happy New Year everybody! May you live life largely!